Method and apparatus for installing conditional access system information

ABSTRACT

Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate to method and an apparatus a broadcast receiver for a conditional access system (CAS) information download. The CAS information download method includes acquiring broadcast provider information. The method also includes, selecting a broadcast provider based on the broadcast provider information. The method further includes, transmitting a subscription request including identity information of the broadcast reception device to a broadcast provider server of the selected broadcast provider. The method also includes, downloading CAS information from a CAS server.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/675,553 filed on Aug. 11, 2017, which is related to and claimspriority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) to Korean Patent Application No.10-2016-0102424 filed on Aug. 11, 2016, the disclosures of which areherein incorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

The present invention relates to a conditional access system (CAS)installation method and apparatus. In particular, the present inventionrelates to a CAS information download method and apparatus of abroadcast receiver.

2. Description of Related Art

Analog television (TV) broadcasting is being replaced by digital TVbroadcasting. In order to receive digital broadcast signals, a set-topbox is required. The set-top box is designed to receive various digitalbroadcast channels. The set-top box has CAS information includinginformation on the channels subscribed by a subscriber. The broadcastservice provider provides the subscriber with the broadcast servicebased on the subscription information.

The CAS is a restrictive access system for restricting unauthorizedusers from accessing the channels or services. The CAS allows onlyauthorized subscribers to descramble the scrambled signals broadcast bythe broadcasting company and watch the broadcast. The basic requirementsfor implementing such a system are program and data scrambling forensuring security of the communication links and subscriberauthentication and access control functions.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary set-top box-basedbroadcast reception system, according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. In reference to FIG. 1, the broadcast reception systemincludes a broadcast provider server 110, a set-top box 120, and a TV130. The TV 130 is connected to the set-top box 120. If a CAS card 125is inserted into the set-top box 120, then the set-top box 120 decryptsthe encrypted signals with the CAS information stored in the CAS card125. The decrypted signals are modulated into radio frequency (RF)signals and transferred to the TV 130 for viewing by the subscriber.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating another exemplary set-topbox-based broadcast reception system, according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure. In reference to FIG. 2, the broadcast receptionsystem includes a broadcast provider server 210, a first set-top box220, a second set-top box 230, a first TV 240, and a second TV 250. Thefirst TV 240 is connected to the first set-top box 220, and the secondTV 250 is connected to the second set-top box 230. Each of the first andsecond TVs 240 and 250 should be connected to a set-top box to receivedigital broadcast signals. The set-top boxes 220 and 230 have CAS cards225 and 235 respectively inserted therein and decrypt the encryptedsignals with the CAS information stored in the respective CAS cards 225and 235; the decrypted signals are modulated into RF signals andtransferred to the first and second TVs 240 and 250 for viewing by thesubscriber(s).

As described above, in order to receive digital broadcast signals, a TVshould be connected to a set-top box having a physical CAS card insertedtherein. However, the legacy set-top box-based broadcast receptionsystems have drawbacks as they require extra devices in addition to a TVfor use of CAS information in receiving broadcast signals and laboriousinstallation processes thereof, resulting in user inconvenience.

SUMMARY

To address the above-discussed deficiencies, it is a primary object toprovide a conditional access system (CAS) information download methodand apparatus. Also, the present invention aims to provide a CASinformation download method and apparatus of a broadcast receptiondevice.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a CAS informationdownload method of a broadcast reception device is provided. The CASinformation download method includes acquiring broadcast providerinformation, selecting a broadcast provider based on the broadcastprovider information, transmitting a subscription request includingidentity information of the broadcast reception device to a broadcastprovider server of the selected broadcast provider, and downloading CASinformation from a CAS server.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a broadcastreception device is provided. The broadcast reception device includes acontroller which controls acquiring broadcast provider information,selecting a broadcast provider based on the broadcast providerinformation, transmitting a subscription request including identityinformation of the broadcast reception device to a broadcast providerserver of the selected broadcast provider, and downloading CASinformation from a CAS server and a security domain for installing theCAS information therein.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, an operationmethod of a conditional access system (CAS) server is provided. Theoperation method includes receiving a CAS installation request includingidentity information of a broadcast reception device from a broadcastprovider server, generating CAS information for the broadcast receptiondevice based on the CAS installation request, receiving a CASinformation download request from the broadcast reception device, andtransmitting the CAS information to the broadcast reception device.

In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, aconditional access system (CAS) server is provided. The CAS serverincludes a communication unit which transmits and receives signals and acontroller which controls receiving a CAS installation request includingidentity information of a broadcast reception device from a broadcastprovider server, generating CAS information for the broadcast receptiondevice based on the CAS installation request, receiving a CASinformation download request from the broadcast reception device, andtransmitting the CAS information to the broadcast reception device.

The technical problems to be solved by the present invention are notrestricted to the aforementioned and any other technical problems notmentioned so far will be clearly appreciated from the followingdescription by those skilled in the art.

Before undertaking the DETAILED DESCRIPTION below, it may beadvantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases usedthroughout this patent document: the terms “include” and “comprise,” aswell as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation; the term“or,” is inclusive, meaning and/or; the phrases “associated with” and“associated therewith,” as well as derivatives thereof, may mean toinclude, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be containedwithin, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with,cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to orwith, have, have a property of, or the like; and the term “controller”means any device, system or part thereof that controls at least oneoperation, such a device may be implemented in hardware, firmware orsoftware, or some combination of at least two of the same. It should benoted that the functionality associated with any particular controllermay be centralized or distributed, whether locally or remotely.Definitions for certain words and phrases are provided throughout thispatent document, those of ordinary skill in the art should understandthat in many, if not most instances, such definitions apply to prior, aswell as future uses of such defined words and phrases.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure and itsadvantages, reference is now made to the following description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like referencenumerals represent like parts:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary set-top box-basedbroadcast reception system;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating another exemplary set-topbox-based broadcast reception system;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a CAS download system accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a signal flow diagram illustrating a CAS information downloadprocedure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a CAS download system accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a signal flow diagram illustrating a CAS information downloadprocedure according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a CAS download system according toanother embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a signal flow diagram illustrating a CAS information downloadprocedure according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a broadcast receptiondevice according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a broadcast providerserver according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a CAS serveraccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a broadcastreception device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a broadcastprovider server according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a broadcastprovider list server according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure; and

FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a CAS serveraccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1 through 15, discussed below, and the various embodiments used todescribe the principles of the present disclosure in this patentdocument are by way of illustration only and should not be construed inany way to limit the scope of the disclosure. Those skilled in the artwill understand that the principles of the present disclosure may beimplemented in any suitably arranged electronic device.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described in detailwith reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbersare used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.Detailed descriptions of well-known functions and structuresincorporated herein may be omitted to avoid obscuring the subject matterof the present invention. The following description is made only of theparts necessary to help understand the operations according to variousembodiments of the present invention and is not made of other parts toavoid obscuring the subject matter of the present invention.

The CAS is a restrictive access system for restricting unauthorizedusers from accessing the channels or services. The CAS allows onlyauthorized subscribers to descramble the scrambled signals broadcast bythe broadcasting company and watch the broadcast contents. The CAS is asystem designed to descramble the scrambled contents, for a user who haspaid for contents with a smart card or a cable card. The CAS system maybe understood as a path between a server providing the contents and aclient receiving the contents. For example, the CAS makes it possible todifferentiate the broadcast services or contents by type and/or qualitydepending on the payment for the broadcast service or contents.

The CAS may be installed in a set-top box or a recorder of a broadcastreception device (e.g., TV). In an embodiment of the present invention,a device or a CAS device embedded in the set-top box or the broadcastreception device may download and install CAS information.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the CAS information may bedownloaded from an external source. The CAS information that can bedownloaded may be referred to as downloadable CAS information. Thedownloadable CAS information is the CAS information that can bedownloaded or received from a CAS server rather than the CAS informationembedded in a CAS card. In an embodiment of the present invention, theCAS information may be downloaded from a server during a connection to anetwork. The set-top box or broadcast reception device may have asecurity device (e.g., security chip) capable of receiving the CASinformation and being detachable, and the security device may downloadthe CAS information. The security device may be called a securitydomain.

In an embodiment of the present invention, it may be possible to receiveand manage information of multiple CASs. It may also be possible toreplace, modify, and update stored CAS information with downloaded CASinformation.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the terms “CAS” and “CASinformation” are used interchangeably as an object being downloaded,transmitted, received, and installed. For example, the expressions suchas “downloading CAS”, “transmitting CAS”, “receiving CAS”, and“installing CAS” can be interpreted respectively as having the meaningof “downloading CAS information”, “transmitting CAS information”,“receiving CAS information”, and “installing CAS information”.

The CAS supports user or subscriber authentication, access control,scrambling/descrambling, and encryption/decryption for a broadcastingservice. It may be possible to identify a user; to control access tochannels, contents, or services; and to acquire information on the keyfor descrambling and/or decrypting broadcast information being receivedfrom a broadcast provider server. An authorized user may acquireinformation on the key for use in descrambling and may unscramble thescrambled contents with the assigned key for playback of the contents.The broadcast company can maximize profits by protecting against illegalaccess to their contents, and the subscriber can enjoy a convenient anderror-free service.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a CAS download system accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure.

In reference to FIG. 3, the CAS download system includes a broadcastprovider list server 310, a broadcast reception device 320, a broadcastprovider server 330, and a CAS server 340. At least one of theseentities may be omitted or included in any of the other entities.

The broadcast provider list server 310 may provide information on thebroadcast providers. The broadcast provider information may includeinformation on the broadcast providers, broadcast provider-specificpayment plans or rates, channels available per payment plan, andcontents as exemplified in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Provider Payment plan Detail of payment plan Provider A Paymentplans A, B, Channel type (a1, a2, a3), C, etc. channel quality (b1, b2,b3), contents type (c1, c2, c3), etc. Provider B Payment plans D, E, F,Channel type (d1, d2, d3), etc. channel quality (e1, e2, e3), contentstype (f1, f2, f3), etc. Provider C Payment plans G, H, I, Channel type(g1, g2, g3), etc. channel quality (h1, h2, h3), contents type (i1, i2,i3), etc. . . . . . . . . .

The broadcast provider list server 310 may be operated by a TVmanufacturer. The broadcast provider information may be installed orinput into the TV at the manufacturing stage. It may also be possiblefor the TV to connect to a network and receive the broadcast providerinformation from the broadcast provider list server.

The broadcast reception device 320 may be a TV. In an embodiment of thepresent invention, a TV may download CAS information and displaybroadcast contents using the CAS. Although this embodiment is directedto a TV as the broadcast reception device 320, the broadcast receptiondevice 320 may be any type of devices capable of receiving broadcastsignals with a CAS. The broadcast reception device 320 may acquirebroadcast provider information and transmit a subscription request orCAS download request to the broadcast provider server 330 of thebroadcast provider selected based on the broadcast provider information.The subscription request may include the CAS download requestcorresponding to the subscription information. The broadcast receptiondevice 320 may receive the CAS information form the CAS server 340. Thebroadcast reception device 320 may install the downloaded CASinformation and operate the CAS. The broadcast reception device 320 maydisplay the broadcast contents to the subscriber or user using the CAS.

The broadcast provider server 330 may receive the subscription requesttransmitted by the broadcast reception device 320. The broadcastprovider server 330 may transmit a CAS installation requestcorresponding to the subscription request to the CAS server 340. The CASinstallation request may include subscription information and/oridentity information. The identity information may include a deviceidentifier of the broadcast reception device 320 and/or an identifier ofa security domain of the broadcast reception device 320. The identifierof the security domain may be referred to as a security domain ID. Thebroadcast provider server 330 may transmit CAS installation notificationinformation to the broadcast provider list server 310. The broadcastprovider list server 310 may check for CAS installation in associationwith the broadcast provider list provided thereby based on the CASinstallation notification information and transmit billing informationto the corresponding broadcast provider.

The CAS server 340 may receive the CAS installation request transmittedby the broadcast provider server 330 and transmit the CAS informationcorresponding to the CAS installation request to the broadcast receptiondevice 320. The CAS server 340 may include a CAS information generationserver and a CAS information management server. The CAS informationgeneration server and the CAS information management server may beimplemented as physically separate entities or a single entity. Theoperations of the CAS information generation server and CAS informationmanagement server to be described hereinafter may be performed by theCAS server 340.

The CAS information generation server may generate the CAS informationbased on the subscription request. The CAS information generation servermay generate the CAS information based on the authentication information(e.g., security domain ID) and/or the subscription information receivedfrom the broadcast provider server 330. The CAS information generationserver may transmit the CAS information to the CAS informationmanagement server. The CAS information generation server may encrypt theCAS information and transmit the encrypted CAS information to the CASinformation management server. The CAS information management server isa server for managing the CAS information and transmits the CASinformation received from the CAS information generation server to thebroadcast reception device 320. The CAS information management servermay transit the CAS information to the security domain of the broadcastreception device 320. The CAS information management server may performthe management operation (e.g., CAS activation, deactivation,uninstallation, change, replacement, and update) after the CASinformation is installed in the broadcast reception device 320.

FIG. 4 is a signal flow diagram illustrating a CAS information downloadprocedure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

In reference to FIG. 4, a broadcast provider list server 410 may providea broadcast reception device 420 with broadcast provider information atstep 451. The broadcast provider information may include broadcastprovider list information. The broadcast provider information may bestored in the broadcast reception device 420 at the manufacturing stagethereof. If the broadcast reception device 420 powers on and connects toa network, it may receive the broadcast provider list information fromthe broadcast provider list server 410. In this case, the information onthe identifier (e.g., server address) of the broadcast provider listserver 410 is embedded in the broadcast reception device 420 at themanufacturing stage thereof. Here, the network function of the broadcastreception device 420 may be restricted to acquisition of the broadcastprovider information. That is, the broadcast reception device 420 may bedesigned to preserve a right to access to the broadcast provider listserver 410 in the network only for the purpose of acquiring thebroadcast provider information. The network access right may be extendedto other network functions after acquiring the broadcast providerinformation. The broadcast provider list server 410 may provide theinformation on all or part of all broadcast providers. In the case ofproviding the information on part of all broadcast providers, a filtermay be used. For example, it may be possible to use a filter forproviding the information on the broadcast providers available in alocal area based on the location information of the broadcast receptiondevice 420. The broadcast provider list server 410 may provide thebroadcast reception device 420 with information on global (nationwide)broadcast providers regardless of the location of the broadcastreception device 420 and information on local broadcast providers in alocation-based manner.

The broadcast reception device 420 may display the broadcast providerinformation at step 453. For example, the broadcast reception device 420may display the broadcast provider information on its display. Thebroadcast provider information may be displayed on a terminal or anelectronic device paired with the broadcast reception device 420 as wellas the broadcast reception device 420. The user may select a broadcastprovider based on the broadcast provider information displayed on thebroadcast reception device 420. The user may also select one of thepayment plans of the broadcast provider. The channels, quality, andcontents of the broadcast service provided by the broadcast provider maybe determined depending on the payment plan. The broadcast receptiondevice 420 may display the information on a broadcast provider selectionresult. The information on the selected broadcast provider and theselected payment plan may be called subscription information. Afterselecting the broadcast provider, the user may enter subscriberinformation. The subscriber information may include the information onthe personal information and payment information (credit card, accountnumber, etc.) of the subscriber. The subscriber information may bepre-stored and, in this case, the subscriber information input proceduremay be omitted. The broadcast provider information may include theaddresses of the broadcast provider servers. If the subscriber selects abroadcast provider, the broadcast reception device 420 may transmit asubscription request to the broadcast provider server address of theselected broadcast provider.

The broadcast reception device 420 may transmit the subscription requestto the broadcast provider server 430 at step 455. The subscriptionrequest may include broadcast subscription information (broadcastprovider and/or payment plan selection information). The subscriptionrequest may further include information on the subscriber information.The subscription request may include the identity information of thebroadcast reception device 420. The identity information of thebroadcast reception device may be its own identity information of thebroadcast reception device 420 or the identity information of a securitydomain in which CAS information is downloaded and installed (securitydomain ID). The broadcast provider server 430 may identify the broadcastreception device 420, selected broadcast provider, selected paymentplans, and subscriber; and it may register the subscriber information.The broadcast provider server 430 may check the necessity of installingthe CAS corresponding to the selected payment plan for the broadcastreception device 420. If it is determined that there is a necessity todownload the CAS information, the procedure goes to step 457. Thesubscription information received by the broadcast provider server 430may include the information indicating the necessity of CASinstallation. If the information indicating the necessity of CASinstallation is included, the broadcast provider server 430 may transmita CAS installation request to the CAS server 440 at step 457.

At step 457, the broadcast provider server 430 may transmit a CASinstallation request to the CAS server 440. The CAS installation requestmay include at least one of subscription information, a broadcastreception device ID, a security domain ID, and network connectioninformation of the broadcast reception device 420.

At step 459, the CAS server 440 may transmit to the broadcast receptiondevice 420 the CAS information generated based on the CAS installationrequest received from the broadcast provider server 430. The CASinformation may be generated by the CAS information generation server ofthe CAS server 440. The CAS information generation server may generatethe CAS information based on at least one of the subscriptioninformation, the broadcast reception device ID, and the security domainID. It may also be possible to generate the CAS information first andthen map the CAS information to at least one of the broadcast receptiondevice ID and the security domain ID. It may be possible to generate theCAS information first and then map the CAS information to at least oneof the subscription information, broadcast reception device ID, andsecurity domain ID. This mapping procedure may be performed by the CASinformation management server rather than the CAS information generationserver. The CAS information generation server may transmit the CASinformation to the CAS information management server. The CASinformation may be encrypted before being transmitted to the CASinformation management server. The CAS information management server maytransmit the CAS information to the broadcast reception device 420 inresponse to the CAS installation request. The network connectioninformation of the broadcast reception device 420 for transmitting theCAS information may be contained in the subscription request transmittedat step 455.

The CAS server 440 may transmit the CAS information to the broadcastreception device 420 in response to a CAS information request from thebroadcast reception device 420. The CAS information request may includethe broadcast reception device ID or the security domain ID. The CASinformation request may include the network connection information ofthe broadcast reception device 420. The network connection address mayinclude an Internet protocol (IP) address. The CAS server 440 mayidentify the CAS information addressed to the broadcast reception device420 by comparing the broadcast reception device ID or security domain IDmapped to the CAS information with the broadcast reception device ID orsecurity domain ID included in the CAS information received from thebroadcast reception device.

The broadcast reception device 420 may establish an IP connection withthe CAS server 440 to download the CAS information. The broadcastreception device 420 may download the CAS information via a network nodeconnecting the broadcast reception device 420 to the CAS server 440. Inthe case of downloading the CAS information from the network node, thebroadcast reception device 420 may establish a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi)connection, a Bluetooth connection, or a near field communication (NFC)connection to the network node for downloading the CAS information.

The CAS server 440 may transmit push information to the broadcastreception device 420. The CAS server 440 may transmit the pushinformation to the broadcast reception device 420 based on the networkconnection information included in the CAS installation request. Thepush information may be the information indicating the presence of theCAS information to download or asking for consent to download the CASinformation. If consent is given to download the CAS information, theCAS server 440 may transmit the CAS information to the broadcastreception device 420.

The broadcast reception device 420 may install the CAS based on the CASinformation at step 461. The broadcast reception device 420 may activatethe CAS. If multiple CASs are downloaded and installed, the broadcastservice may be provided with the activated CAS. The broadcast receptiondevice 420 may unscramble and decrypt the broadcast signals using theactivated CAS such that the subscriber receives the broadcast service.

The broadcast provider server 430 may transmit to the broadcast providerlist server 410 a CAS installation notification at step 463. The CASinstallation notification may be a message for notifying the broadcastprovider list server 410 of the CAS download. It may be possible tonotify the broadcast provider list server 410 of the CAS installation orCAS download using the CAS installation notification or CAS downloadnotification. The broadcast provider list server 410 may check for theCAS installation or download in association with the broadcast providerlist provided thereby based on the broadcast installation notificationand transmit billing information to the corresponding broadcastprovider. The broadcast provider server 430 may transmit the CASinstallation notification or CAS download notification to the broadcastprovider list server 410 when a CAS information transmission completereport is received from the CAS server 440 or when a CAS informationdownload complete report or a CAS installation complete report isreceived from the broadcast reception device 420. The broadcast providerserver 430 may also transmit the CAS installation notification or theCAS download notification to the broadcast provider list server 410 whenthe subscription request or CAS installation request is received fromthe broadcast reception device 420.

The CAS installation notification may be performed by the broadcastreception device 420 or the CAS server 440 as well as the broadcastprovider server 430. The broadcast reception device 420 may transmit theCAS installation notification to the broadcast provider list server 410after downloading or installing the CAS information. The CAS server 440may transmit the CAS installation notification to the broadcast providerlist server 410 after transmitting the CAS information to the broadcastreception device 420.

As described above, the broadcast reception device 420 may download andinstall the CAS information based on the broadcast provider informationprovided by the broadcast provider list server 410 such that thesubscriber receives the broadcast service.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a CAS download system accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure. In FIG. 5, the entitiesidentical in name with those of FIG. 3 operate in similar manners.

In the embodiment of FIG. 5, the CAS download system may include abroadcast provider list server 510, a terminal 515, a broadcastreception device 520, a broadcast provider server 530, and a CAS server540. At least one of these entities may be omitted or included in any ofthe other entities.

Examples of the terminal 515 includes a cellular phone, a radiocommunication function-enabled smartphone, a radio communicationfunction-enabled Portable Digital Assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, aradio communication function-enabled portable computer, a radiocommunication function enabled image sensing device such as a digitalcamera, a radio communication function-enabled gaming device, a radiocommunication function-enabled music storage and playback appliance, ahousehold appliance capable of wireless Internet access and webbrowsing, and a portable unit or terminal integrating the functions ofthe aforementioned items.

The terminal 515 may include an electronic device among theaforementioned devices capable of displaying the broadcast providerinformation. The terminal 515 may connect to the broadcast receptiondevice 520 to acquire device information from the broadcast receptiondevice 520. For example, the device information may include thebroadcast reception device ID or security domain ID.

The broadcast provider list server 510 may provide the terminal 515 withbroadcast provider information. The broadcast provider information isidentical with that described with reference to FIG. 3. The broadcastprovider list server 510 may provide the broadcast provider informationbased on the location information of the terminal 515 or subscriptioninformation of the user of the terminal 515. The broadcast provider listserver 510 may provide the terminal 515 with the information on thebroadcast providers available at the current location of the terminal515. The broadcast provider list server 510 may provide the terminal 515with information on global (nationwide) broadcast providers regardlessof the current location of the terminal 515 and information on localbroadcast providers in a location-based manner.

The terminal 515 may display the broadcast provider information providedby the broadcast provider list server 510. For example, the broadcastprovider information may be displayed as shown in Table 1. The terminal515 may transmit a subscription request or CAS download request to thebroadcast provider server 530 of the broadcast provider selected basedon the broadcast provider information. The subscription request mayinclude a CAS download request generated based on the subscriptioninformation. The subscription request transmitted by the terminal 515 isassociated with the broadcast reception device 520. In this embodiment,the subscription request is transmitted by means of the terminal 515,and the CAS information is received by means of the broadcast receptiondevice 520. Accordingly, the subscription request transmitted by theterminal 515 may include the information on the broadcast receptiondevice along with the subscription information.

The broadcast reception device 520 may download the CAS information fromthe CAS server 540 based on the subscription request transmitted by theterminal 515. The broadcast reception device 520 may install and managethe CAS based on the CAS information. The broadcast reception device 520may receive the broadcast service for the subscriber using the CAS.

The broadcast provider server 530 may receive the subscription requestfrom the terminal 515. The broadcast provider server 530 may transmit aCAS installation request to the CAS server 540 upon receipt of thesubscription request. The CAS installation request may include thesubscription information and/or authentication information of thebroadcast reception device. The authentication information may includethe security domain ID. The broadcast provider server 530 may transmit aCAS installation notification or CAS download notification to thebroadcaster provider list server 510.

Upon receipt of the CAS installation request, the CAS server 540 maytransmit the CAS information to the broadcast reception device 520. TheCAS server 540 may generate and transmit the CAS information to thebroadcast reception device 520 based on the subscription informationand/or broadcast reception device ID included in the CAS installationrequest. The CAS server 540 may include a CAS information generationserver and a CAS information management server, which are identical inoperation to those described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

FIG. 6 is a signal flow diagram illustrating a CAS information downloadprocedure according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

In reference to FIG. 6, a terminal 615 may acquires identity informationof a broadcast reception device 620 at step 647. The identityinformation of the broadcast reception device 620 may include at leastone of broadcast reception device ID and security domain ID of thebroadcast reception device 620. The terminal 615 may check for networkconnection information of the broadcast reception device 620. Thebroadcast reception device 620 may use the network connectioninformation for establishing a connection to a network to download theCAS information from the CAS server 640.

The terminal 615 may acquire broadcast provider information from abroadcast provider list server 610 at step 651. The terminal 615 mayrequest to the broadcast provider list server 610 for the broadcastprovider information, and the broadcast provider list server 610 maytransmit the broadcast provider information to the terminal 615. Thebroadcast provider information may be the information on all or part ofall broadcast providers. In the case of providing the information onpart of all broadcast providers, a filter may be used. For example, itmay be possible to use a filter for providing the information on thebroadcast providers available in a local area based on the locationinformation of the terminal 615. The broadcast provider list server 610may provide the terminal 615 with information on global (nationwide)broadcast providers regardless of location and information on localbroadcast providers in a location-based manner. The broadcast providerlist server 610 may provide the broadcast provider information based onthe user information provided by the terminal 615. The user informationmay include a user's address, age, and gender. The broadcast providerlist server 610 may provide the information on the local broadcastproviders based on the address of the user. The broadcast provider listserver 610 may provide the information on the favorite broadcastprovider determined based on statistical analysis of address, age, andgender (with corresponding filters). For example, the broadcast providerlist server 610 may provide the broadcast provider information rankingthe preferred broadcast providers by region, age, and gender.

The terminal 615 may display the received broadcast provider informationat step 653. For example, the terminal 615 may display the broadcastprovider information obtained by filtering with the information asexemplified in Table 1 or the user information. The terminal 615 may bepaired with the broadcast reception device 620 and, in this case, thebroadcast reception device 620 may also display the broadcast providerinformation.

The user may select a broadcast provider, or a payment plan or serviceto be provided by a broadcast provider based on the displayed broadcastprovider information. The terminal 615 may display the information onthe selected broadcast provider or payment plan or service. The user mayenter subscriber information after selecting a broadcast provider. Thesubscriber information may include personal information includingpayment information (credit card, account number, etc.). The process ofentering the subscriber information may be replaced by a process ofretrieving previously stored subscriber information. The broadcastprovider information may include the information on the addresses of thebroadcast provider servers owned by the respective broadcast providers.Accordingly, the user may transmit a subscription request to the serverof the broadcast provider selected from the broadcast provider listdisplayed on the terminal 615.

The terminal 615 may transmit a subscription request to a broadcastprovider server 630 at step 655. The subscription request may includebroadcast subscription information (selected broadcast provider and/orselected payment plan). The subscription request may also include theidentity information of the broadcast reception device 620. The identityinformation of the broadcast reception device 620 may be a device ID ofthe broadcast reception device or an ID of a security domain of thebroadcast reception device 620 for downloading and installing the CASinformation therein.

The broadcast provider server 630 may check for the broadcast receptiondevice 620, the selected broadcast provider, the selected payment plan,and the subscriber information to register the subscription. Thebroadcast provider server 630 may check for the necessity of installingthe CAS corresponding to the selected payment plan in the broadcastreception device 620. If it is determined that there is a need toinstall the CAS, the procedure goes to step 657.

At step 657, the broadcast provider server 630 may transmit a CASinstallation request to a CAS server 640. The CAS installation requestmay include at least one of subscription information, a broadcastreception device ID, a security domain ID, and network connectioninformation of the broadcast reception device 620.

At step 659, the CAS server 640 may transmit to the broadcast receptiondevice 620 the CAS information generated based on the CAS installationrequest received from the broadcast provider server 630. The CASinformation may be generated by the CAS information generation server ofthe CAS server 640. The CAS information generation server may generatethe CAS information based on at least one of the subscriptioninformation, broadcast reception device ID, and security domain ID. Itmay also be possible to generate the CAS information first and then mapthe CAS information to at least one of the broadcast reception device IDand the security domain ID. In the case that the CAS information hasbeen generated already, it may be possible to map the previouslygenerated CAS information to at least one of the subscriptioninformation, broadcast reception device ID, and security domain ID. Thismapping procedure may be performed by a CAS information managementserver rather than the CAS information generation server. The CASinformation generation server may transmit the CAS information to theCAS information management server. The CAS information may be encryptedbefore being transmitted to the CAS information management server. TheCAS information management server may transmit the CAS information tothe broadcast reception device 620 in response to the CAS installationrequest. The network connection information of the broadcast receptiondevice 620 for transmitting the CAS information may be contained in thesubscription request transmitted at step 655.

The CAS server 640 may transmit the CAS information to the broadcastreception device 620 in response to a CAS information request from thebroadcast reception device 620. The CAS information request may includethe broadcast reception device ID or the security domain ID. The CASinformation request may include the network connection information ofthe broadcast reception device 620. The network connection address mayinclude an IP address. The CAS server 640 may identify the CASinformation addressed to the broadcast reception device 620 by comparingthe broadcast reception device ID or security domain ID mapped to theCAS information with the broadcast reception device ID or securitydomain ID included in the CAS information received from the broadcastreception device 620. In this case, the CAS information may be generatedin response to the subscription request generated by the terminal 615and transmitted to the broadcast reception device 620 in response to theCAS information download request generated by the broadcast receptiondevice 620.

The CAS server 640 may transmit push information to the terminal 615 orthe broadcast reception device 620. The CAS server 640 may transmit thepush information to the terminal 615 or the broadcast reception device620 based on the network connection information included in the CASinstallation request. If the terminal 615 or the broadcast receptiondevice 620 consents to download the CAS information, the CAS server 640may transmit the CAS information to the terminal 615 or the broadcastreception device 620. If the terminal 615 receives the CAS information,it may forward the CAS information to the broadcast reception device620.

The broadcast reception device 620 may install the CAS based on the CASinformation at step 661. The broadcast reception device 620 may activatethe CAS. If multiple CASs are downloaded and installed, the broadcastservice may be received with the activated CAS. The broadcast receptiondevice 620 may unscramble and decrypt the broadcast signals using theactivated CAS such that the subscriber receives the broadcast service.

The broadcast provider server 630 may transmit to the broadcast providerlist server 610 a CAS installation notification at step 663. The CASinstallation notification may be a message for notifying the broadcastprovider list server 610 of the CAS download. It may be possible tonotify the broadcast provider list server 610 of the CAS installation orCAS download using the CAS installation notification or CAS downloadnotification. The broadcast provider list server 610 may check for theCAS installation or download in association with the broadcast providerlist provided thereby based on the broadcast installation notificationand transmit billing information to the corresponding broadcastprovider. The broadcast provider server 630 may transmit the CASinstallation notification or CAS download notification to the broadcastprovider list server 610 when a CAS information transmission completereport is received from the CAS server 640, when a CAS informationdownload complete report or a CAS installation complete report isreceived from the broadcast reception device 620, or when a CASinformation forward complete report is received from the terminal 615.

The CAS installation notification may be performed by the broadcastreception device 620, the CAS server 640, or the terminal 615 as well asthe broadcast provider server 630. The broadcast reception device 620may transmit the CAS installation notification to the broadcast providerlist server 610 after downloading or installing the CAS information. TheCAS server 640 may transmit the CAS installation notification to thebroadcast provider list server 610 after transmitting the CASinformation to the broadcast reception device 620. The terminal 615 maytransmit the CAS download notification or CAS installation notificationwhen the CAS server 640 transmits the CAS information or when thebroadcast reception device 620 downloads the CAS information.

As described above, the terminal 615 may transmit the subscriptionrequest for downloading CAS information based on the broadcast providerinformation provided by the broadcast provider list server 610, and thebroadcast reception device 620 may download the CAS information from theCAS server 640 based on a subscription request of the terminal 615 andinstall the CAS such that the subscriber receives the broadcast service.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a CAS download system according toanother embodiment of the present disclosure. In FIG. 7, the entitiesidentical in name with those of FIG. 3 or 5 operate in similar manners.

In the embodiment of FIG. 7, the CAS download system may include abroadcast reception device 720, a broadcast provider server 730, and aCAS server 740. At least one of the entities may be omitted or includedin any of the other entities.

The broadcast provider server 730 may acquire subscription informationassociated with the broadcast reception device 720. The subscriptioninformation may be acquired in various ways. The subscriptioninformation may be acquired through a subscription request operationdescribed with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6, an off-line subscriptionprocess, or a phone call.

The broadcast provider server 730 may transmit a CAS installationrequest to the CAS server 740 after acquiring the subscriptioninformation. Upon receipt of the CAS installation request, the CASserver 740 may transmit the CAS information to the broadcast receptiondevice 720. The CAS server 740 may generate the CAS information based onthe subscription information included in the CAS installation requestand/or the identity information of the broadcast reception device 720and transmit the CAS information to the broadcast reception device 720.The CAS server 740 may receive a CAS information download request fromthe broadcast reception device 720 and compare the CAS informationdownload request and the CAS installation request to authorize thebroadcast reception device 720 to download the CAS information. The CASserver 740 may include a CAS information generation server and a CASinformation management server, which are identical in operation to thosedescribed with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6.

FIG. 8 is a signal flow diagram illustrating a CAS information downloadprocedure according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

In reference to FIG. 8, the broadcast provider server 830 may acquiresubscription information associated with a broadcast reception device820 at step 855. The subscription information may be acquired in variousways. The subscription information may be acquired through asubscription request operation described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6,an off-line subscription process, or a phone call. The subscriptioninformation may include the information on the selected broadcastoperator and/or selected payment plan. The broadcast provider server 830may acquire identity information of the broadcast reception device 820.The identity information of the broadcast reception device 820 may beits device ID or an ID of its security domain in which the CASinformation is downloaded and installed (security domain ID).

The broadcast provider server 830 may identify the broadcast receptiondevice 820, selected broadcast provider, selected payment plans, andsubscriber; and it may register the subscriber information. Thebroadcast provider server 830 may check the necessity of installing theCAS corresponding to the selected payment plan for the broadcastreception device 820. If it is determined that there is a necessity todownload the CAS information, the procedure goes to step 857.

At step 857, the broadcast provider server 830 may transmit a CASinstallation request to the CAS server 840. The CAS installation requestmay include at least one of subscription information, a broadcastreception device ID, a security domain ID, and network connectioninformation of the broadcast reception device 820.

At step 859, the CAS server 840 may transmit to the broadcast receptiondevice 820 the CAS information generated based on the CAS installationrequest received from the broadcast provider server 830. The CAS server840 may include a CAS information generation server and a CASinformation management server, which are identical in operation to thosedescribed with reference to FIGS. 4 and 6. The CAS server 840 maps theCAS information to the broadcast reception device ID or security domainID and manages the mapping. The CAS server 840 may encrypt the CASinformation and then transmit the encrypted CAS information to thebroadcast reception device 820.

The CAS server 840 may transmit the CAS information to the broadcastreception device 820 in response to a CAS information request from thebroadcast reception device 820. The CAS information request may includethe broadcast reception device ID or the security domain ID. The CASinformation request may include the network connection information ofthe broadcast reception device 820. The network connection address mayinclude an IP address. The CAS server 840 may identify the CASinformation addressed to the broadcast reception device 820 by comparingthe broadcast reception device ID or security domain ID mapped to theCAS information with the broadcast reception device ID or securitydomain ID included in the CAS information received from the broadcastreception device 820.

The broadcast reception device 820 may install the CAS based on the CASinformation at step 861. The broadcast reception device 820 may activatethe CAS. If multiple CASs are downloaded and installed, the broadcastservice may be received with the activated CAS. The broadcast receptiondevice 820 may unscramble and decrypt the broadcast signals using theactivated CAS such that the subscriber receives the broadcast service.

In the embodiments of FIGS. 3 to 8, a network node may be interposedbetween the broadcast reception device and the CAS server. If thebroadcast reception device is not directly connected to the CAS server,it may receive the CAS information via the network node. The networknode may be a Wi-Fi AP, a handset device, a personal computer, or thelike. The broadcast reception device and an IP-based wireless networknode may be connected through a layer 2 interface such as Wi-Fi,Bluetooth, NFC, and universal serial bus (USB) cable. In the embodimentsof FIGS. 5 and 6, the terminal may operate as the network node. Theterminal may receive the CAS information from the CAS server andtransmit the CAS information to the broadcast reception device.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the broadcast receptiondevice may have multiple CASs installed therein. In the case thatmultiple CASs have been installed, the user may activate one of themultiple CASs. If CAS2 is selected while CAS1 has been activated, CAS1is deactivated and then the CAS2 is activated. If the user wants toreceive another broadcast service in the state of using CAS1, it may benecessary to re-acquire the broadcast provider information. Thebroadcast provider information reacquisition process may be performed inthe same way as the broadcast provider information acquisition processas described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 8. If a new broadcast providerand a new payment plan are selected based on the broadcast providerinformation, it may be possible to download the CAS informationsupporting the selected broadcast provider and payment plan. The CASdownload may be performed as described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 8.If the new CAS information is downloaded, it may be possible todeactivate the old CAS and activate the newly downloaded CAS informationaccording to the user selection. If the old CAS is deactivated, it maybe possible to transmit a CAS deactivation notification to the broadcastprovider server corresponding to the deactivated CAS.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a broadcast receptiondevice according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The broadcast reception device may acquire broadcast providerinformation at step 910. The broadcast provider information may bepre-stored or received from a broadcast provider list server.

The broadcast reception device may display the acquired broadcastprovider information at step 920. The broadcast provider information maybe display by a terminal paired with the broadcast reception device aswell as by the broadcast reception device.

The broadcast reception device may select a broadcast provider at step930. The broadcast reception device may select one of the broadcastproviders listed in the broadcast provider information. The broadcastreception device may also select a broadcast provider along with apayment plan of the broadcast provider. The selection operation may beperformed by means of the terminal paired with the broadcast receptiondevice. The broadcast reception device may receive a user input. Thebroadcast reception device may receive a broadcast provider selectioninput made by the user. The broadcast reception device may select abroadcast provider based on the broadcast provider selection input.

The broadcast reception device may transmit a subscription request tothe broadcast provider server at step 940. The subscription request maybe made in association with the selected broadcast provider, paymentplan, and service. The subscription request may include subscriptioninformation associated with the broadcast provider, payment plan, andservice. A broadcast provider server may be selected by the user. Thesubscription information may include identity information. The identityinformation may include a broadcast reception device ID and/or asecurity domain ID of the broadcast reception device. The subscriptionrequest may also include network connection information of the broadcastreception device. The broadcast provider server may instruct the CASserver to generate the CAS information and to transmit it to thebroadcast reception device according to the subscription request.

The broadcast reception device may receive the CAS information from theCAS server at step 950. The CAS information is received in response tothe subscription request transmitted by the broadcast reception device.In order to download the CAS information, an authentication proceduremay be performed between the broadcast reception device and the CASserver. In the authentication procedure, the broadcast reception deviceID or the security domain ID may be used. After generating the CASinformation, the CAS server may transmit the CAS information to thebroadcast reception device identified by the network information. TheCAS server may perform authentication on the CAS information with thebroadcast reception device upon receipt of a CAS information downloadrequest from the broadcast reception device and then transmit the CASinformation to the broadcast reception device. The broadcast receptiondevice may receive the CAS information from the broadcast server via anadditional network node interposed between the broadcast receptiondevice and the CAS server.

The broadcast reception device may install the CAS at step 960 based onthe CAS information. The broadcast reception device may activate theinstalled CAS.

The broadcast reception device may notify a broadcast provider listserver of the CAS download or CAS installation.

The operations of the broadcast reception device are not limited to theexemplary embodiment of FIG. 9, and they may include the operationsdescribed with reference to FIGS. 3 to 8.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a broadcast providerserver according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

In reference to FIG. 10, a broadcast provider server may receive asubscription request at step 1010. The subscription request may betransmitted by a broadcast reception device or a terminal paired withthe broadcast reception device. The subscription request may be inassociation with a selected broadcast provider, a payment plan, and aservice. The subscription request may include subscription informationassociated with the broadcast provider, payment plan, and service. Abroadcast provider server may be selected by the user. The subscriptioninformation may include identity information. The identity informationmay include a broadcast reception device ID and/or a security domain IDof the broadcast reception device. The subscription request may alsoinclude network connection information of the broadcast receptiondevice. The broadcast provider server may instruct the CAS server togenerate the CAS information and transmit it to the broadcast receptiondevice according to the subscription request.

The broadcast provider server may register the subscription informationin association with the broadcast reception device at step 1020. Step1020 may be omitted.

The broadcast provider server may transmit a CAS installation request toa CAS server at step 1030. The CAS installation request corresponds tothe subscription request. The CAS installation request may include theinformation conveyed by the subscription request. The CAS installationrequest may instruct at least one of generation of CAS information ortransmission of CAS information to the broadcast reception device. TheCAS server may transmit the CAS information to the broadcast receptiondevice according to the CAS installation request.

The broadcast provider server may transmit a CAS installationnotification to a broadcast provider list server at step 1040. The CASinstallation notification may be replaced with CAS downloadnotification. The broadcast provider server may receive a CAS downloadcomplete or CAS installation complete message from the CAS server or thebroadcast reception device and transmit the CAS installationnotification or CAS download notification to the broadcast providerserver in reply.

The operations of the broadcast provider server are not limited to theexemplary embodiment of FIG. 10, and they may include the operationsdescribed with reference to FIGS. 3 to 8.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a CAS serveraccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

In reference to FIG. 11, the CAS server may receive a CAS installationrequest from a broadcast provider server at step 1110. The CASinstallation request may include subscription information and/oridentity information of the broadcast reception device.

The CAS server may generate CAS information according to the CASinstallation request at step 1120. In the case of using CAS informationgenerated already, it may be possible to map the CAS information to theinformation on the broadcast reception device.

The CAS server may receive a CAS information download request from thebroadcast reception device at step 1130.

The CAS server may perform authentication on the broadcast receptiondevice that has transmitted the CAS information download request at step1140. The CAS server may perform authentication on the CAS informationgenerated to the broadcast reception device that has transmitted the CASinformation download request. The authentication process may beperformed using the identity information (broadcast reception device IDor security domain ID). The CAS server may perform the authenticationprocess using the identity information conveyed by the CAS installationrequest and the identity information conveyed by the CAS informationdownload request.

Steps 1130 and 1140 may be omitted.

The CAS server may transmit the CAS information to the broadcastreception device at step 1150. If the broadcast reception device isauthenticated successfully, the CAS server may transmit the CASinformation. The broadcast reception device may receive, install, andactivate the CAS information.

The CAS server may notify a broadcast provider list server of the CASdownload or CAS installation at step 1160.

The operations of the CAS server are not limited to the exemplaryembodiment of FIG. 11, and they may include the operations describedwith reference to FIGS. 3 to 8

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a broadcastreception device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

In reference to FIG. 12, the broadcast reception device 1200 may includea communication unit 1210, a controller 1230, and a security domain1250. The security domain 1250 may be embedded within the broadcastreception device 1200 or inserted into the broadcast reception device1200 in the form of a detachable card.

The communication unit 1210 may transmit and/or receive signals andinformation and broadcast data to and/or from an external entity. Thecommunication unit 1210 may receive CAS information. The CAS informationmay be downloaded and installed in the security domain 1250.

The controller 1230 may control the operations of the broadcastreception device 1200. The controller 1230 may control the operationsrelated to broadcast service subscription, CAS information download, CASinstallation, and broadcast signal reception.

The controller 1230 may control the broadcast reception device 1200 toacquire broadcast provider information, select one of broadcastproviders based on the broadcast provider information, transmit identityinformation of the broadcast reception device 1200 to a broadcastprovider server of the selected broadcast provider, and receive CASinformation from a CAS server.

The identity information of the broadcast reception device 1200 mayinclude the identity information of the security domain 1250.

The controller 1230 may control the broadcast reception device 1200 totransmit a CAS information download request including the identityinformation of the broadcast reception device to the CAS server.

The controller 1230 may control the broadcast reception device 1200 toacquire location-based broadcast provider information based on thelocation information of the broadcast reception device.

The controller 1230 may control the broadcast reception device 1200 toconnect to at least one terminal. In this case, the terminal may performat least one of the operations of acquiring the broadcast providerinformation, selecting a broadcast provider based on the broadcastprovider information, and transmitting the subscription informationincluding the identity information of the broadcast reception device1200 to the broadcast provider server of the selected broadcastprovider.

The operations of the controller 1230 are not limited to the exemplaryembodiment of FIG. 12, and they may include controlling the operationsof the broadcast reception device that have been described withreference to FIGS. 3 to 11.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a broadcastprovider server according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

In reference to FIG. 13, the broadcast provider server 1300 may includea communication unit 1310 and a controller 1330. The communication unit1310 may transmit and/or receive signals and information and broadcastdata to and/or from an external entity. The broadcast provider server1300 may receive a subscription request and transmit a CAS installationrequest by means of the communication unit 1310.

The controller 1330 may control overall operations of the broadcastprovider server 1300.

The operations of the controller 1330 are not limited to the exemplaryembodiment of FIG. 13, and they may include controlling the operationsof the broadcast provider server that have been described with referenceto FIGS. 3 to 11.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a broadcastprovider list server according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

In reference to FIG. 14, the broadcast provider list server 1400 mayinclude a communication unit 1410, a controller 1430, and a storage unit1450. The communication unit 1410 may transmit and/or receive signalsand information and broadcast data to and/or from an external entity.The broadcast provider list server 1400 may transmit the broadcastprovider information by means of the communication unit 1410.

The controller 1430 may control overall operations of the broadcastprovider list server 1400.

The storage unit 1450 may store the broadcast provider information.

The operations of the controller 1430 are not limited to the exemplaryembodiment of FIG. 14, and they may include controlling the operationsof the broadcast provider list server that have been described withreference to FIGS. 3 to 11.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a cas serveraccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

In reference to FIG. 15, the CAS server may include a communication unit1510 and a controller 1530. The communication unit 1510 may transmitand/or receive signals and information and broadcast data to and/or froman external entity. The CAS server 1500 may receive a CAS installationrequest and transmit CAS information by means of the communication unit1510.

The controller 1530 may control overall operations of the CAS server1500.

The controller 1530 may control the CAS server 1500 to receive a CASinstallation request including identity information of a broadcastreception device from a broadcast provider server, generate CASinformation for the broadcast reception device based on the CASinstallation request, receive a CAS information download request fromthe broadcast reception device, and transmit the CAS information to thebroadcast reception device.

The controller 1530 may control the CAS server 1500 to performauthentication on the broadcast reception device based on the identityinformation conveyed by the CAS installation request and the CASinformation download request and transmit, when the authenticationsucceeds, the CAS information to the broadcast reception device.

The controller 1530 may control the CAS server 1500 to transmit a CASinformation download notification to a broadcast provider list server.

The operations of the controller 1530 are not limited to the exemplaryembodiment of FIG. 15, and they may include controlling the operationsof the CAS server that have been described with reference to FIGS. 3 to11.

As described above, the CAS information download method and apparatus ofthe present invention is advantageous in terms of facilitating receiptof broadcast signals. Also, the CAS information download method andapparatus of the present invention is advantageous in that a broadcastreception device downloads the CAS information for use in receivingbroadcast signals.

Although the present disclosure has been described with an exemplaryembodiment, various changes and modifications may be suggested to oneskilled in the art. It is intended that the present disclosure encompasssuch changes and modifications as fall within the scope of the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method performed by a terminal, the methodcomprising: acquiring identity information of a broadcast receptiondevice; acquiring, from a broadcast provider list server, broadcastprovider information including a list of broadcast providers availableto the broadcast reception device and at least one payment plansupported by the broadcast providers; selecting a broadcast provideramong the list of broadcast providers and a payment plan of thebroadcast provider among the at least one payment plan; andtransmitting, to a broadcast provider server of the selected broadcastprovider, a subscription request including the identity information ofthe broadcast reception device, wherein a conditional access system(CAS) installation request is transmitted from the broadcast providerserver to a CAS server based on the subscription request, and whereinCAS information is generated based on information included in the CASinstallation request.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the CASinformation including key information for broadcast information to bereceived from the broadcast provider server, and wherein the at leastone payment plan is associated with at least one of a channel type, achannel quality, and a content type.
 3. The method of claim 1, whereinthe identity information of the broadcast reception device comprisesidentity information of a security domain where the CAS information isdownloaded and installed.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:receiving, from the CAS server, push information associated with the CASinformation; and transmitting, to the CAS server, information indicatingdownload agreement for the CAS information, wherein the CAS informationis downloaded to the broadcast reception device from the CAS serverbased on the information indicating download agreement.
 5. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the list of broadcast providers are sorted based onlocation information, and wherein the subscription request includesinformation on the selected payment plan supported by the selectedbroadcast provider.
 6. A terminal comprising: a transceiver; and acontroller coupled with the transceiver and configured to: acquireidentity information of a broadcast reception device, acquire broadcastprovider information including a list of broadcast providers availableto the broadcast reception device and at least one payment plansupported by the broadcast providers, select a broadcast provider amongthe list of broadcast providers and a payment plan of the broadcastprovider among the at least one payment plan, and transmit, to abroadcast provider server of the selected broadcast provider via thetransceiver, a subscription request including the identity informationof the broadcast reception device, wherein a conditional access system(CAS) installation request is transmitted from the broadcast providerserver to a CAS server based on the subscription request, and whereinCAS information is generated based on information included in the CASinstallation request.
 7. The terminal of claim 6, wherein the CASinformation including key information for broadcast information to bereceived from the broadcast provider server, and wherein the at leastone payment plan is associated with at least one of a channel type, achannel quality, and a content type.
 8. The terminal of claim 6, whereinthe identity information of the broadcast reception device comprisesidentity information of a security domain where the CAS information isdownloaded and installed.
 9. The terminal of claim 6, wherein thecontroller is further configured to: receive, from the CAS server, pushinformation associated with the CAS information, and transmit, to theCAS server, information indicating download agreement for the CASinformation, wherein the CAS information is downloaded to the broadcastreception device from the CAS server based on the information indicatingdownload agreement.
 10. The terminal of claim 6, wherein the list ofbroadcast providers are sorted based on location information, andwherein the subscription request includes information on the selectedpayment plan supported by the selected broadcast provider.
 11. A methodperformed by a conditional access system (CAS) server, the methodcomprising: receiving a CAS installation request based on subscriptionrequest of a broadcast reception device from a broadcast providerserver, wherein the broadcast provider server is selected by a terminalbased on broadcast provider information including a list of broadcastproviders that is provided by a broadcast provider list server andavailable to the broadcast reception device; generating CAS informationfor the broadcast reception device based on the CAS installationrequest; receiving a CAS information download request; and transmitting,to the broadcast reception device, the CAS information, wherein thebroadcast provider information further includes at least one paymentplan supported by the broadcast providers.
 12. The method of claim 11,wherein a broadcast provider of the broadcast provider server isselected among the list of broadcast providers and a payment plan of thebroadcast provider is selected among the at least one payment plan,wherein the CAS information includes key information for broadcastinformation to be received from the broadcast provider server, andwherein the at least one payment plan is associated with at least one ofa channel type, a channel quality, and a content type.
 13. The method ofclaim 11, wherein the CAS installation request comprises thesubscription request, wherein the subscription request includesinformation on the selected payment plan supported by the selectedbroadcast provider, wherein generating the CAS information comprises:encrypting the CAS information; and transmitting the encrypted CASinformation to a security domain of the broadcast reception device. 14.The method of claim 11, further comprising authenticating the broadcastreception device based on an identity information included in the CASinstallation request and the CAS information download request, whereinthe CAS information is transmitted to the broadcast reception device incase that the broadcast reception device is successfully authenticated.15. The method of claim 11, further comprising: transmitting pushinformation associated with the CAS information; and transmitting a CASinformation download notification to a broadcast provider list server.16. A conditional access system (CAS) server comprising: a transceiver;and a controller coupled with the transceiver and configured to:receive, via the transceiver, a CAS installation request based onsubscription request of a broadcast reception device from a broadcastprovider server, wherein the broadcast provider server is selected by aterminal based on broadcast provider information including a list ofbroadcast providers that is provided by a broadcast provider list serverand available to the broadcast reception device, generate CASinformation for the broadcast reception device based on the CASinstallation request, receive, via the transceiver, a CAS informationdownload request, and transmit, to the broadcast reception device viathe transceiver, the CAS information, wherein the broadcast providerinformation further includes at least one payment plan supported by thebroadcast providers.
 17. The CAS server of the claim 16, wherein abroadcast provider of the broadcast provider server is selected amongthe list of broadcast providers and a payment plan of the broadcastprovider is selected among the at least one payment plan, wherein theCAS information includes key information for broadcast information to bereceived from the broadcast provider server, and wherein the at leastone payment plan is associated with at least one of a channel type, achannel quality, and a content type.
 18. The CAS server of claim 16,wherein the CAS installation request comprises the subscription request,wherein the subscription request includes information on the selectedpayment plan supported by the selected broadcast provider, wherein thecontroller is further configured to encrypt the CAS information and totransmit the encrypted CAS information to a security domain of thebroadcast reception device.
 19. The CAS server of claim 16, wherein thecontroller is further configured to: authenticate the broadcastreception device based on an identity information included in the CASinstallation request and the CAS information download request, andtransmit the CAS information, to the broadcast reception device, in casethat the broadcast reception device is successfully authenticated. 20.The CAS server of claim 16, wherein the controller is further configuredto: transmit push information associated with the CAS information, andtransmit a CAS information download notification to a broadcast providerlist server.